WhyArts and Basic Hope Foundation Host Express Your Self Art Exhibit

WhyArts (www.whyartsinc.org) and The Basic Hope Foundation’s S.O.A.R. Program were proud to collaborate to create the Express Your Self Art Exhibit at the The B Side of Benson Theatre during the month of March. In collaboration with Collective for Youth and the Omaha Public Schools, student artwork from eight middle schools were able to be involved in the exhibit, including Monroe, Marrs, McMillan, Morton, Lewis and Clark, Norris, and Nathan Hale. Lead by their WhyArtist Mentors, students created art on the theme of expressing feelings.

Lewis and Clark students created a banner with Joe Broghammer. McMillan students created a painting showing one boy’s countless emotions over a single day. Kim Darling asked Monroe students to create self portraits which were then merged into a larger mural. Marrs, Norris, and Lewis and Clark students created sculptures from clay and reclaimed materials with mentors Tom McLaughlin and Richard Chung. Nathan Hale students glazed tiles and created pencil sketches with Katherine Scarpello and Brandon Mass, while mentor Sarah Rowe asked Morton and Marrs students to explore what a completely blue or green day might look like. Amanda Caillau had McMillan students create a collaborative paper sculpture. Spray paint artist Hugo Zamorano let his Norris class loose on expandable foam and created a giant S.O.A.R. wall hanging. Two S.O.A.R. classes worked with spoken word artist Felicia Webster to create acrostic poems, which were put on display.

WhyArts, founded in 1990, is dedicated to providing Omaha’s underserved populations with access to inclusive quality arts programming. They believe each individual, no matter their circumstance, has unlimited creative potential. For information, visit www.whyartsinc.org or call (402) 541-4181.